In the mid-1990s, an official edition of MONOPOLY: Denver Edition featured some of the city’s most iconic locations. With the opening of MONOPOLY LIFESIZED: Travel Edition, DCPA Off-Center’s newest immersive experience at Broadway Park®, the NewsCenter team took a walk down memory lane to see if the nearly 30-year-old locations went boom or bust.

BOOM

The Brown Palace ($300)
Perhaps no other location on the MONOPOLY: Denver Edition board is more appropriate than Denver’s legendary Brown Palace Hotel. The project of a carpenter-turned-real-estate entrepreneur, The Brown Palace was the idea of Henry Brown who capitalized on the vast numbers of people drawn to the West in the late 1800s. A philanthropist who donated the land for the State Capitol and $1,000 to found the city’s first library, Mr. Brown made a fortune off selling his land on Capitol Hill and, in turn, spent $1.6 million (nearly $55.5 million today) to build the renowned hotel, which opened on August 12, 1892.

Cherry Creek Shopping Center ($200)
In another fitting addition to the board, the Cherry Creek Shopping Center was developed by architect, real estate developer and entrepreneur, Temple Hoyne Buell (namesake of the Buell Theatre). Buell bought a large tract of land at 1^st and Colorado, which was first mined for sand, later used as a sanitary landfill, and ultimately redeveloped in 1949. Buell designed the first Cherry Creek Shopping Center, which opened in 1953 and features luxury retail including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Hermès and Tiffany & Co. among others.

Colorado Rockies ($160)
When the Major League Baseball expanded in 1991, Denver was given permission to form its own team — the Colorado Rockies. In its history, the Rockies have made it to the postseason four times, ultimately making it to the World Series in 2007 where they were swept by the Boston Red Socks.

Coors Field ($300)
Once baseball fever took hold in the Mile High City, the Denver Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District built Coors Field in 1995 in Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo) district. Interestingly, given Colorado’s altitude and strong winds, baseballs travel 9 percent farther than at sea level, making games extra exciting.

Denver Art Museum ($100)
While the Denver Art Museum originally opened in 1893 as the Denver Artists’ Club, it did not make its permanent home at 100 E. 14^th Avenue Parkway until 1971 when it opened the North Building. Now known as the Martin Building, the facility was renovated and reopened in 2021. It is joined by the Hamilton Building by Daniel Libeskind, which opened in 2006. Together, the buildings welcome 800,000 annual visitors to view 700,000 pieces of art in its 12 permanent collections as well as special exhibits.

Denver Botanic Gardens ($100)
Built atop the location of Denver’s first large cemetery, the Denver Botanic Gardens welcomes more than 1.4 million visitors to its location on York Street as well as its Chatfield Farms location in southern Jefferson County. With a focus on sustainability, the Gardens connects people with plants, especially plants from the Rocky Mountain region and similar regions around the world.

Denver Broncos ($140)
Established in 1960, the Denver Broncos continue to attract steadfast fans from throughout the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. A member of the American Football West Conference of the National Football League, the Broncos have won eight AFC Championships (1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2015) and three Super Bowl Championships (1997, 1998, 2015).

Denver International Airport ($200)
The Denver International Airport opened in 1995 and has become one of the world’s busiest airports serving more than 200 nonstop destinations. In 2023, it welcomed 77.8 million passengers, generating a $36.4 billion economic impact. Currently it is ranked the third busiest airport in the US and the sixth busiest in the world.

Denver Water ($150)
With water at a premium — both now and when Colorado was being settled — the management of this precious resource is extremely important. After many early residents drank directly from creeks and rivers, irrigation systems were the next step to provide water for a growing community. Soon, water companies began managing the distribution of water to early settlers and by 1918, Denver residents opted to buy the Denver Union Water Company and form what is now known as Denver Water. Today, it’s the state’s largest and oldest water utility covering more than 335 square miles and providing water to more than three million customers. 

Denver Zoo ($120)
Now known as the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, the beloved cultural attraction originally opened in 1896 with a small collection of caged animals. But the Zoo was transformed in 1918 when it became the first American institution to embrace Carl Hagenbeck’s concept that people should see animals in their natural habitat. Since then, the Zoo has grown and expanded its mission to embrace education and conservation and welcomes nearly two million visitors annually.

Denver Union Station ($200)
Today’s Denver Union Station was actually the third such facility in the bourgeoning city after its predecessors burned beyond repair. In 1914, the city’s third rail station opened, constructed of seemingly indestructible carved granite. It reached its heyday in the 1940s, welcoming more than 50,000 visitors daily but slowly fell into disuse. Starting in 2001, efforts began to preserve the historic building and it ultimately reopened as an entertainment, retail, restaurant and transportation destination in 2014. The building was again remodeled in 2024 with an $11 million makeover.

Frontier Airlines ($200)
Featuring not one but two spaces on the MONOPOLY board, Frontier Airlines is Denver’s hometown airport. While it was originally formed from many mergers over the span of 1950-1986, today’s Frontier Airlines is dedicated to being a low-cost airline serving the US, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. It operates flights to move then 120 destinations and welcomes nearly 25.5 million passengers with its iconic animal-painted tail wings.

Grizzly Rose ($180)
The Grizzly Rose opened in 1989 and is currently located at 5450 Lincoln Street in Denver. As a self-professed Honkey-Tonk, the venue has hosted some of the best known artists in country music: Garth Brooks, Waylon Jennings, Chris LeDoux and Merle Haggard. Plus, they offer dancing lessons, host events and offer weekly specials for the crowds. Cowboy hats and boots are encouraged.

Inverness Hotel & Golf Club ($300)
Now called simply The Inverness, this hotel also features on-site dining, a spa and venue rentals. But the biggest draw is certainly its 18-hole championship golf course designed by J. Press Maxwell. The site features a pro shop and rentals, chipping and putting green, driving range and PGA golf pros.

King Soopers ($220)
King Soopers is a subsidiary of Kroger that is popular throughout the Rocky Mountain region. After starting as a single location in Arvada in 1947, the chain has grown and changed parent companies several times. Approximately 120 stories have opened over the company’s lifetime and the chain is currently vying to merge with Albertsons, a merger that has been challenged by several states.

Larimer Square ($60)
Named for General William Larimer, the block of Larimer Street between 14^th & 15^th was Denver’s first block as the area was settled in the late 1800s. Today, it’s been named the city’s first historic district and boasts a combination of residences, offices, restaurants, retail and dynamic events that attract locals and tourists alike.

Lower Downtown District  ($400)
Known fondly as LoDo, the Lower Downtown District is a historic district in north Denver near the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. Its boundaries are 20^th, Larimer, Cherry Creek and Wynkoop streets. As the oldest part of the city, the area boasts nearly 100 restaurants plus shopping, commercial buildings, hotels, events, a thriving nightlife and more.

Mile High Stadium ($150)
While officially known as Empower Field, locals still call it Mile High Stadium. As home to the Denver Broncos, this iconic Denver location was opened at its current location in 2001. While it’s never hosted the Super Bowl (and isn’t likely to any time soon), Mile High Stadium has hosted concerts, other sporting events, a visit by Pope John Paul II as part of World Youth Day, and the Democratic National Convention at which Barack Obama accepted the Democratic presidential nomination.

Public Service Company of Colorado ($150)
Now known as Xcel Energy, the company provides gas and electric power to customers in eight states including Colorado. The company got its start as the Denver Gas Company in 1869 when William N. Byers (then-owner of the former Rocky Mountain News), Colonel James Archer, Walter Scott Cheesman and five other prominent Coloradoans chose to finance a local gas lighting company. It was said that settlers could see the bright lights of Denver beckoning across the plains and Thomas Edison once called Curtis Street the “brightest street in America” because of the many electrified theater marquees that once illuminated the area.

Tattered Cover Book Store ($200)
For decades, Tattered Cover remained one of the largest independently owned bookstores in the US. Opened in 1971 by Stephen Cogil and purchased in 1974 by Joyce Meskis, the company expanded seven times  before consolidating to its former and much beloved location in Cherry Creek. Despite adding locations and moving its flagship store to the old Lowenstein Theatre on Colfax, the Tattered Cover faced financial challenges from online and big box retailers. After changing hands several time, Tattered Cover is now owned by Barnes & Noble though it will continue to operate under its time-honored name.

U.S. Mint ($60)
Not every city can boast its own mint, but what better iconic location to feature on a MONOPOLY board than the Denver Mint? When gold was first discovered in Colorado in 1858 spawning the Gold Rush, companies quickly emerged to buy gold dust and ship it to mints in the East. One of these was Clark, Gruber, and Co. But why ship it if you can mint your own gold coins on the spot? The company opened an office at 16^th & Market and began producing gold coins in 1860. Two years later, Congress announced it would open a US Mint branch in Denver, acquired the Clark, Gruber, and Co. building and machinery, and opened the Denver Mint Assay Office in 1863. It moved to its current location in 1904, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Today, the facility manufactures coin dies, stores silver bullion and continues to mint coins.

BUST

Adam’s Mark Denver ($320)
A former national chain of more than 20 hotels that closed in the 2000s.

Cadillac Ranch ($180)
Located at 14^th & Larimer in the space currently occupied by Tamayo, this western-themed restaurant boasted cowboy saddles as bar stools.

Chesrown ($200)
A former Chevrolet dealership that sold to Republic.

Foleys ($240)
A regional chain of department stores that was prevalent in shopping malls throughout the area. The division was dissolved in 2005 and operation of the stores was assumed by Macy’s.

Marlowe’s ($200)
For 36 years, Marlowe’s served up steak and seafood to locals at its location on the 16^th Street Mall near Paramount Theatre. The restaurant closed in 2018.

TCI ($200)
TCI Cablevision started in 1958 in Montana. After going public in 1970, the company became the top cable provider in the US. It was purchased by AT&T in 1999.